PayTouch

The Challenge

When PayTouch came to Focus Lab, they had an idea and a name. They wanted to expand beyond payment processing and start offering business operations software to existing and new customers. A combination of payment processing, hardware, and software would provide retailers with everything they need to run their business.

The challenge was not only how to differentiate PayTouch in a sea of competitors, but how to convey their passion for business owners to succeed. Rather than focus on the technology, we drew right from the company’s namesake: touch. Storytelling centered around the human aspect and consumer focus of the brand.

We helped PayTouch tell this story through brand identity, dashboard concepting, and a robust online marketing experience.

Our Approach

Normally, our initial step in a project is to define the brand identity. But with software development already underway, we focused first on its user experience. We led with an abbreviated brand strategy process that set up the product design work. It also informed the full branding process to come, wherein we further expanded upon brand values and defined a direction for the larger brand experience.

After completing brand strategy and identity, we moved into UX and UI discovery for the marketing site. Discovery allows us to uncover everything we need to make a formal project recommendation. For PayTouch, this meant defining site architecture and producing a visual sitemap; identifying media needs such as custom iconography and photography; producing wireframes of defined pages; and finally, translating it all into a visual design.

Branding

We designed a brand identity that is elegant yet approachable, and is as experienced as it is personal. We relied on custom hand lettering to convey a signature concept. This style of logotype conveys the personal aspect that embodies PayTouch’s identity and sets it apart from competitors. A supporting alternate mark was also designed for applications where the full logotype doesn’t fit, like social media avatars and app icons.

A portion of the 56-page Brand Guidelines book designed for PayTouch.

Interactive Dashboard Design

With such an expansive product, it was paramount to wireframe every view and interaction before starting visual design. This product would be used by small-to-mid-range retailers with an audience that spanned tech-savvy to tech-illiterate. Wireframing before design ensured a complete and thought-out user experience.

In visual design, we contrasted the table-heavy content with an abundant use of white space. The supporting palette of cool grays allowed us to use color as an effective tool to call attention to crucial parts of the product. A custom set of iconography helped lend approachability, while aiding in interface navigation.

Photography

In building such a comprehensive brand identity, photography plays such a crucial role; we knew stock photography wouldn’t cut it. Our specific vision for environments, lifestyle, and product interaction could only be achieved through custom photography.

We developed photography styles that dictated messaging, aesthetic, and methodology. The shoot spanned four days, five locations, and sixteen models. The end result ensured that PayTouch had a large library of photography for both online and offline use.

Interactive Web Design

Marketing sites can be straightforward, but with PayTouch, it required a bit more thought to convey the benefits of everything they provided to run a brick-and-mortar business: payment processing, hardware, and business operations software.

Depending on a user’s flow through the site, they might not experience PayTouch’s three main offerings. We designed a lot of this content as repeatable modules, which allowed us to reuse it throughout the site to bolster this message. It also allowed us to create consistency across the site, delivering a unified web experience and speeding up the design and development process.

Wireframing before visual design allowed us to map out the entire site, making sure we met every business goal and covered every benefit.

I can tell you gave this a lot of thought because the design is so simple and intuitive—and that usually takes a lot of time, energy, and focus to make it all ‘click.’ Great job.